Pirate's Cove

This is the fourth soundbar I’ve tried. I gave the Vizio M512a-H6, which is a 5.1.2, a try. It went back. I did not like how the voice was really centered , was distracting. Plus, the volume was problematic. Then the LG SP8YA. It went back. Same centered voice issue. Then the Philips B8405, which us a 2.1.2, with Dolby Atmos like the others. I really, really liked the sound, and, being a 2.1.2, the voice came out of all the speakers. I was interested in it having Play-Fi, meaning you could hook a bunch of things, especially speakers (not those satellite ones which provide atmosphere, actual speakers). However, the volume was dumb. Had to be around a 30 to hear anything, 50 for good volume, and every press of the remote made it go up or down 3-6. Went back. On to the fourth. And I’m liking the Samsung HW-Q700a a whole lot better.

It is a 3.1.2, with all the Dolby codecs, including Atmos (not that many movies or shows have it). I’ve had an older Samsung 2.1 since 2016, figured I’d give it a shot, especially since it is 47% off. The sound quality is pretty darned good, and, while the voice is isolated a bit in the center, it sounds spread out a bit more, so I’m not focused on the center of the soundbar. The side speakers provide excellent quality. Still not as good as the Bose 301s with my receiver, but, good for most things.

I tried many of the same movies, shows, and songs as before. Carnival Row, which does have Atmos, did pretty well. Like most soundbars, it seems a little week on the mid-level sound. It’s slightly week on the bass from the bar, and the subwoofer won’t blow you away. Sadly, cannot bluetooth the one that came with the old Samsung, as that thing is huge. The TV shows I watch made hearing voices much better, and the songs I try, like Steely Dan’s Aja and Black Sabbath’s Heaven And Hell (great for deep bass and guitar) were just fine. I’ll still send to stereo first, though. Have the Bluray connected via optical cable to a device that converts to RCA, stream Iheart and Spotify from there. Otherwise, have to change TV to PCM (2.0 output) audio output.

Interestingly, I was watching Expedition Unknown, play it a lot late night, soothing to fall asleep to, like movies such as the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and heard sounds I’d never noticed before. This one is probably a keeper. I have the old Samsung connected via optical cable so I can switch back and forth quickly, getting an idea of the sound.